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REVIEW. 

 A BIRD CALENDAR FOR NORTHERN INDIA 



BY 



Douglas Dewar. 

 {Thncker Spink i^- Co., 1916, price 6 ShiUinr/s). 



Mr. Douglas Dewar is well known as a popular writer on Indian Birds and 

 ho has already a number of volumes to his credit ; his readers will be glad 

 to welcome this addition to his writings, which is decidedly an improve- 

 ment on anything that he has hitherto published. Mr. Dewar caters for 

 that portion of the European residents in India who have sufficient interest 

 in birds to learn a little of the noment'laturo, habits, and life histories of 

 the more showy and distinctive forms around them, but at the same time 

 are not willing to take their studies very seriously. 



As is to be expected from the title the classification of this book is one of 

 the calendar; the book is divided into chapters for the different months 

 and each chapter deals with the chief features of bird life for that month, 

 prefaced with a slight introduction regarding the climate to be expected. 

 These chapters give a very good idea of the salient features of the year's 

 bird life for the United Provinces, but an attempt has been made to attract 

 a larger public by tacking on — often in a somewhat slipshod manner — a 

 number of notes regarding the Punjab. This is a pity: these notes have 

 appeared in another form in our Journal ; they destroy the cohesion of the 

 whole, and they fail to make for the Punjabi a convincing picture of the 

 bird life of his own province, except in so far that the extreme southern 

 districts (with perhaps some of the submontain tracts) resemble those of the 

 I'nited Provinces. But this is a common fault in all books that deal with 

 India ; the tendency is always to slur over rather than emphasise the 

 divisions of the country, whereas a full appreciation of the divisions and 

 the problems which they suggest add greatly to the zest of Indian studies. 



The real value of this book lies in its suggestiveness ; as he passes from 

 month to month the reader cannot fail to notice the picture of great and 

 unceasing changes which pass before the mind's eye — changes which are 

 summed up in the word " migration ". There are few people in England 

 who do not recognise in some degree the comings and goings of bird life 

 according to the seasons, but it is far otherwise in India. Apart from the 

 Sportsman's interest in the movements of Game and Waterfowl, no heed is 

 paid to the migrations of the birds, although it is on a far vaster scale and 

 more noticeable than in England. A perusal of Mr. Dewar's book should 

 change all this ; but while his pages describe clearly the migrations of all 

 best known species, it is to be regretted that ho omits to make mention of 

 some of the most interesting forms. To take but a single instance : 

 Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum passes through the Punjab in 

 such numbers on the spring and autumn passage that its arrival and 

 departure are most marked and form one of the clearest episodes to the 

 observer interested in migration. Yet no attention is called to it under 

 the appropriate months. This is no accidental omission or error in obser- 

 vation. Mr. Dewar is a most skilled and patient observer as every page of 

 his book bears witness. Yet everywhere he tends to avoid the more obscure 

 points and describe again and again facts and habits which have been well- 

 known to generations of Anglo-Indians. The reason for this is perhaps not 

 far to seek. Mr. Dewar prefers to catch the popular eye in preference to 

 working for the advancement of Ornithology. There are many who regret 



